Mac OS X's screenshot utility is a system that automatically saves your screenshots upon pressing certain keyboard shortcuts. By default they're saved to your desktop, and short of using Terminal this can't be changed. However, if you can't find your screenshots on your desktop, performing some basic troubleshooting can help you find where they are and change the save location if necessary.

Default Save Location

By default, screenshots are saved automatically to your desktop whenever you press any of the screenshot key commands. The files are named Screen Shot followed by the date they were taken, and are saved in PNG format, so if you have your icons sorted by file type or name and you have a number of icons on your desktop, you may need to do a bit of searching.

Other Applications

In some instances, screenshots may be saved to specific folders instead of the desktop. This is typically done when you're using an application with a specific screenshot key command; for example, many games have a folder dedicated to screenshots. If you take screenshots in a program but can't find them on your desktop, check your program's preferences to see where they're stored, or check the program's folder in your Applications.

Troubleshooting

If you're pressing your screenshot keys but nothing happens, you can use Finder and Spotlight to look to see if the shots are showing up anywhere else. Open Finder and click on "All My Files," and then change the way files are sorted to Date Created. Any new screenshots should show up at the very beginning. You can use use Spotlight to search for "Screen Shot." If this still doesn't work, look at your keyboard shortcut settings to make sure it hasn't been changed. To do this, open "System Preferences," click "Keyboard" and select the "Keyboard Shortcuts" tab. The screenshot shortcuts are under the Screen Shots category.

Change Save Location

If for any reason your screenshots are being saved to a new location, you can change the location back to default by using Terminal. This is a simple process, but be extremely careful to paste the commands exactly as they're written. Open "Terminal" from your Utilities folder, and then type or paste the following line: defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Desktop/ Press "Enter," and then type or paste the following line to save the changes: killall SystemUIServer Press "Enter" again and exit Terminal, and your screenshots will save directly to your desktop.

About the Author

Based in California, James Wright has been writing since 1998. Wright's articles have been published on various websites with a focus on technical fields such as computers and the Internet, and were also featured in a now-retired publication for an online artistic community. Wright studied English, journalism, politics and psychology at Riverside Community College.